The Kli Yakar uses the physical law that opposites react to explain the parah adumah. Why is it both tahor, pure and tamei, impure? This problem occurs if the parah adumah is made up of one entity. So he explains that parah adumah is comprised of two entities, water and earth. The water is tahor and the earth is tamei. When we place it on a tamei person, then the earth of the parah adumah has no reaction but the water does and makes him tahor. However, when placed on a tahor person, then the water has no reaction but the earth does, so it makes him tamei. The question is why didn’t Shlomo Hamelech, who was smarter than anyone, think of it? Maybe the mix of water being tahor with the tamei earth is a problem why it stays tahor?
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